Origin: Colombia
Farm/Region: Patia River Region
Tasting Notes: Dark chocolate, cranberry, and malt 'o' milk.
Producer: La Union Narino
Varietal: Castillo & Caturra
Processing: Washed
Altitude: 1300 - 1900 MASL
Cradled in the Upper Canyon of the Patia River region, La Union is nourished by the Mayo and Juanambu rivers. In the Narino department in southern Colombia, farmers function in a decentralised way (more on this later), yet are inextricably linked by interconnected biodiversity, their farms thriving in rich volcanic soil fed by the Andes Mountain river systems.
Choose your microclimate: Created by dramatic variation in topographic features, farmers can choose their microclimate on the mountain, depending on their desired quality, quantity, and market.
With cool upper zones, expansive moderate zones, and warmer lower zones producers can grow coffee according to their requirements and means--selecting varietals that thrive in their respective altitudes and microclimates. The most common varietals grown here are Castillo, Caturra, and Colombia.
This high altitude (and high-quality) washed lot underwent sun drying on Parabolic beds.
In-house processing: In La Union Narino Coffee is the lifeblood of the community, with coffee driving local prosperity. Coffee is cultivated in 40 of the 45 villages within the municipality and is home to some 4438 farms.
In many parts of the world, we see a centralisation of coffee processing, with farmers belonging to coffee collectives or cooperatives. This is mostly practical, as coffee processing is expensive and time-consuming, and Co-ops have all the processing equipment and know-how.
This is where Colombia more broadly, and La Union Narino in particular, are unique. Here, each farmer operates and maintains a small washing station facility on their farm. This enables them to process their coffee and oversee every step of the journey.
This means cultivation, farming, picking, sorting, processing, washing, drying, packing, and storage are all done by the same people on the same farm. Although a lot more work, this hands-on commitment, from tree to export, gives farmers/producers an unprecedented level of control.
With growers guiding the beans through every stage of production, there is little wonder why this coffee is so consistently good. Do all the work yourself? That's one surefire way to ensure quality control!